A blast of cold weather from the Arctic is expected to bring more wintry conditions to the UK at the start of next week, the Met Office has warned.
There could be snow, especially in the north of Britain, but the south is also expected to be colder than average, the forecaster said.
More than 200 flood warnings and alerts remained in force on Tuesday evening in England and the Welsh government said 37 properties had been flooded because of Storm Henk last week and Storm Gerrit at the end of December.
The Met Office said on Tuesday afternoon that more cold weather was likely through much of this week, with an increasing chance of “wintry hazards” towards the start of next.
It added: “The UK is under the influence of high pressure, which is bringing colder than average weather for the time of year, and a marked reduction in rainfall amounts following a wet start to January.
“These cold and largely dry conditions will persist through much of this week, with areas to the south particularly cold compared to average. However, by the time we reach Sunday a northerly airflow develops, which could increase the chances of wintry hazards for some.”
The Met Office head of situational awareness, Will Lang, said: “There will be a resurgence in the really cold weather through the weekend and that spreads across the whole of the UK during the early part of next week.
“Initially, this means there will be more in the way of showers around the coasts, turning increasingly to snow for many areas, especially further north.”
Speaking in the latest Met Office Deep Dive show, the forecaster Aidan McGivern said: “A cold front from the north towards the weekend will mark another change in the air mass for the UK, moving from something with a bit of an Atlantic influence to air that comes more directly from the Arctic.”
On Monday ministers said 2,000 homes in England had been flooded. The Welsh government said on Tuesday that 37 properties had been flooded, 23 of them in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales. Only two flood alerts remain in Wales.
The climate change minister, Julie James, said: “This winter season again demonstrates that with the changing climate, we face longer, heavier bouts of rain on a regular basis. We must all be ready to deal with more frequent and severe flood events.”
An amber cold health alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency covering the north-west, south-east and south-west of England and the east and West Midlands lasting until 12pm on Friday. A yellow alert is in place for the north-east and east of England, Yorkshire, the Humber and London.
The amber alert means: “Cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time, with potential for the whole population to be at risk and where other sectors may also start to observe impacts, indicating a coordinated response is required.”
